They say that not only is life cyclical, but history repeats itself. Both of those are true in Fairfield where the eighth grade girls’ basketball team is being coached by Angie Lamb, Trojan alum and former player under Hall of Fame Coach Dan Breen, who currently has twin daughters on Lamb’s team.

About Breen, Lamb said, “I learned everything I know about basketball from him.” She continued, “He was great at not only teaching us how to do the fundamentals, but also explained why we we were doing them and how they fit into the offensive and defensive principles. I have those principles ingrained into my memory - forever! He sees basketball like no other person sees it; he sees the intricate details from the very beginning, the point of attack, to the end, going in hard for the lay up, jumping and rotating your hips.”

Lamb had nothing but praise for her team and Breens’ young ballers.

“This 8th grade team, with his two twin daughters, showed all the traits you would expect from a “Dan Breen” coached team. He has worked with them since 3rd grade, so it’s no surprise they are fundamentally sound. They were intense and competitive in both games and practice. They have been conditioned to play hard, value each possession of the ball and they expect to win. Having them come into middle school ball with this respect of the game from Dan, and having Jerrod Belzer and Josh Allison do a great job with them as 7th graders, made my job a whole lot easier this year. They know they can’t be satisfied with their accomplishments yet, they have a high school career ahead of them, and I have all the faith in the world these girl will put in the work they need to be true champions.

The teams themselves were excellent, with the “A” team finishing 12-0 this year and 24-0 for their junior high careers. The “B” squad finished 11-3, including eight straight to end the season. The final game was a 45-14 victory for the “A” teamers. The effort was led by Anna Dunlap and Hannah Simpson with 13 points and nine rebounds and eight points and eight rebounds, respectively.

The Breen twins combined for 14 points and eight steals, while Brynley Allison had six points, four steals and three boards.

The “B” ballers won as well, 27-8, led by Jenna Norris with eight points, six steals and two rebounds. Hannah Bergren added seven points, three steals and two boards. Emma Clubb and Hailey Triska each had four points and combined for 10 rebounds, and Sarah McAvan and Jayden Burke each tallied two points and combined for six rebounds.